I need some help

[Jon Brown]

Cars been playing up for months and can't seem to find the problem.

Power steering started to leak on to the exhaust joint and somehow got inside, and can't seem to burn this off (continues to chuck out smoke). Car has a new steering pump with upgraded hoses which stopped the leak.

Also when driving as soon as the car get hot it dies then won't restart until it cools down. Then when it would start if you accelerate it's like the car is engine braking, or not pumping any fuel. Tried changing the ignition coil to no avail.

I need to book it in to Austec but they have a month waiting list, does anyone have any ideas in the meantime, miss driving the car

[jojackson4]

Do the Amp aswell
The ecu temp sender may be your little gremlin
Buy the brass nut one NOT the plastic one

[bobfather]

The smoke it's chucking out is not due to power steering fluid, there is no route for power steering fluid to enter the exhaust. The exhaust smoke will be associated with your hot running issue. perhaps your ECU coolant temperature sender is faulty and causing the ECU to register the engine as cold. This would mean the ECU would keep the mixture rich and therefore stall when hot. Check your rocker cover breathers, you may be blowing oil into the combustion air, that would cause smoke

[Jon Brown]

Thanks, I'll check that out. I did check the breathers and they seem fine. Seems a bit strange that it all happened when the power steering pump leaked

[ClassiChimi]

What colour is the smoke?

[phazed]

Jon Brown said:

I need to book it in to Austec,

There are alternatives that leave your wallet in a better condition………………...

[jojackson4]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[QBee]

Nearby, there's the TVR guys at Aylesford in north Kent, can't remember the name but he's good - I am assuming you can trailer it there?
If you have a trailer and are up for a longer trip, I go to, and swear by, Mat Smith Sportscars, TVR experts. He is about 160 miles from you, in Downham Market in north west Norfolk. Worth the trip in my opinion. I now live 75 miles from Mat and still wouldn't go anywhere else. 01366 386004.

[Jon Brown]

Thanks for the heads up, will bare this in mind for the future. But at the moment I cant really afford to take two days off work(too busy) to take a car to the garage and back so Austec seems the logical solution. Even if its just to find the cause.

I tried the temp sensor to no avail, smoke is white and only when the engine is hot.

Ill see what happens next week, since its now booked in

[phazed]

Poss brake fluid from a leaking master being sucked up the vacuum pipe?

[Sardonicus]

Its possible for oil to seep into that exhaust joint over time (transmission/PAS fluid is very viscous) and yes you guessed it PAS/ATF/Transmission fluid burns white if thats so then only a really good run will burn that stuff out of the ex system, and just in case this sounds far fetched remember this....ATF's got great searching properties its one of the reasons mixed with a suitable solvent to thin wins hands down over the big brands of penetrative fluids i.e un-seizing fasteners etc its one of the reasons why an old auto trans or PAS system can leak like a siv here is just one such example http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/penetra...

Edited by Sardonicus on Monday 2nd November 12:56

[bobfather]

I have to ask then, why doesn't this happen to every PAS Chim/Griff? Every one of them has or has had a significant PAS fluid leak from the steel U bend which leaks directly onto the bottom of the exhaust Y piece

[Sardonicus]

bobfather said:

I have to ask then, why doesn't this happen to every PAS Chim/Griff? Every one of them has or has had a significant PAS fluid leak from the steel U bend which leaks directly onto the bottom of the exhaust Y piece

It as happened before and how do I know how effective the OP'er ex joint is from Y piece to ex system is was a suggestion not a fact maybe you can guarantee from your keyboard what the exact problem is sadly I cant this thread was titled .. "I need help"

[bobfather]

I'm not being a keyboard warrior, I'm just questioning the logic of your suggestion rolleyes

The pipe joint interface is about 90 to 110mm, that's a long passage for capillary action to transfer enough fluid in my opinion

I've been doing my own TVR maintenance for the past 14 years and know this PAS leak issue very well. Please tell me who this happened to, I normally pick these things up via these pages so your suggestion surprised me